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Possible lava tube skylights discovered near the North Pole of the Moon

Credit:
NASA/Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/SETI Institute/Mars Institute/Pascal LeeThe north pole of the moon appears to be riddled with dozens of pits leading to underground lava tubes, according to new research released Jan. 11. If these belowground caves host vast amounts of ice — which scientists believe is possible — astronauts could harvest the ice and use them for future moon missions.
Data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter pinpointed the pits on the northeastern floor of the, which is at about 72 degrees north latitude. Each pit is about 50 to 100 feet across (15 to 30 meters) and located along a lunar sinuous rille, or lava tube, which were once underground tunnels filled with lava.
Discovering potential lava tubes at the moon’s north pole represents a boon for future space explorers. While the moon hosts hundreds of known lava tubes, most of them are in regions with little ice. The northern ones, by contrast, appear in an area with known ice.
In fact, that's why lead resear